Choose to celebrate gift of life
THIS life, it’s a gift. A gorgeous, undeserved, unasked for, inexplicable, golden glowing gift from, well, who knows?
Main thing we have to decide, dear reader, is how we are going to deal with such a thing.
We can either be grateful, very grateful. Give thanks every day and enjoy the ride. Or, we can go the other way, be like a spoilt child who hasn’t got exactly what they asked for. With folded arms, sour face and a tantrum for every unpleasant event that comes along to throw mud on our chips. Sigh.
Got thinking about all this as I was out for a run the other afternoon, if you’re wondering why, allow me to explain.
It was one of those golden, glowing afternoons that come along at this time of year.
The sun was sliding down towards the sea and the sky was glowing fit to burst.
A rose gold fire in its eyes and a pink belly full of promises for tomorrow.
Reason I mention the sea, by the way, is that Mrs Cullimore and I were staying down on the Dorset coast, in a caravan perched on a clifftop, with far reaching views of Swanage bay spread out below.
As we watched seagulls gliding past below the windows, I decided the time was ripe to get out and about, to feel the thrill of being.
Which is why, a few minutes later, I ended up jogging gently along the coastal path.
Don’t know if you are familiar with that part of the world, if not, the only thing you need to know is that it is blessed with rugged good looks, cliffs that melt softly before your eyes and charm that could outdo a flock of pink, fluffy unicorns. It also has a rather lovely coastal path all along the edge.
As I made my way along this coastal path, over dry stone walls with solid slabbed steps jutting out, following gentle grassy grooves etched into the cliff tops by generations of slow moving cattle, something dawned on me.
At that moment, right there, right then, life was perfect. Everything just felt gorgeous, an undeserved gift if ever there was one.
The scenery, the peace, the sunshine. Marvellous.
The soft rhythmic sway as I trundled slowly through this tiny corner of the universe. Joyous. I truly was, jogging in paradise.
Which was unexpected. Weird. Wrong somehow.
Don’t know about you, but I have spent the last few weeks in a state of ever increasing shock. Expect most of us are in the same boat.
After two years of Covid craziness, when the world went gaga, like a schoolgirl screaming at spiders, I presumed we would have a few moments of calm.
A time for each of us to take a few deep breathes, put it all behind and get on with the day to day business of living in peace and quiet.
Obviously, that hasn’t happened. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon, either. In fact, if anything, looks like the world is going to get even more crazy and scary than before.
Which is irksome. Not the sort of thought that brings a smile to the face or a song to the heart.
Thing is, going through the day feeling that things are going to hell in a hand cart is no fun. No fun at all.
All of which brings me neatly right back to where I began. This life, it’s a gift.
Main thing we have to decide, each and every one of us, is how we are going to deal with it.
That run along the coastal path helped me work out what to do next. I’m going to copy one of my favourite Stoic philosophers.
Just like him, I’m going to imagine two buckets for the problems of the world.
One of the buckets is for problems that I can do something about. Sitting at home bored, for instance.
That’s a problem I can definitely do something about. I can walk the dogs, visit a cafe, go out for a run.
The list is long and pretty much guaranteed to cure what ails.
As for other problems; Russia, Ukraine, power crazed lunatics, nuclear armageddon, the future, aliens with probes to shove where the sun don’t shine, well, there’s not much I can do about any of that stuff. It’s out of my control.
So instead of worrying about it all, I’m going to put those worries in the other bucket.
The great, big bucket for things that are way too big for me to deal with. Then I’m going to get on with life.
Hope you and yours are safe, well and happy.
Until next time, all the best
❝ At that moment, right there, right then, life was perfect. Everything just felt gorgeous, an undeserved gift